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David Andrews-3

Flying with K2

Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack it in
suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery? What about
paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?

Thanks

David G4CWB

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Thomas Horsten

Re: Flying with K2

Hi David,

I am flying to Denmark with my FT-817 next week, and I contacted EasyJet to
figure out what I was going to do.

The SLA battery is a no-no. It took 4 emails and escalating the issue to
find out for sure that these are not allowed on EasyJet no matter what, and
probably the same applies to other European airlines.

Regarding the radio itself you can carry it in your hand baggage no problem,
as long as you stay within the allowance of your airline. In EasyJet's case
that means certain dimensions but no limit on the weight, so if you pack
tightly you might be able to fit laptop as well as your rig into a suitable
backpack. You can also pack it in the hold baggage, either is allowed.

I bought a 8Ah Lithium Polymer battery from uttings.co.uk to replace my 12Ah
SLA battery, which I wasn't allowed to bring. It's this one:
http://www.deben.com/lithium-ion/12v-8ah-lithium-ion-battery-pack-with-fuel-gauge.html

A datasheet for the battery can be found here:
http://www.tracerpower.com/user/pdf/Li-Poly_Data_Sheet.pdf

This works exceedingly well with my FT-817, I don't have a K2 to try it on
but be aware that the voltage is somewhat lower than a SLA, with about 12.8
volts when fully charged and dropping to about 9.5V when it's flat. So this
might be an issue for the K2 - the FT-817 puts out the full 5W at well under
9V.

Hope it helps!

73, Thomas M0TRN
K3 #4208

On 25 June 2011 18:21, David Andrews <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack it in
> suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery? What about
> paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> David G4CWB
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

Jack Chomley

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

David,

I approached Qantas Airways to carry a battery on a trip to Lord Howe Island, off Australia's east coast.
I made formal enquiry and received an approval document (see below) to carry the battery, with certain requirements, on the airline's part.
Note the reference to IATA A67 DGR, which is an International regulation, also note ICAO, which relates to secure packaging, some battery makers have this certification and the battery will be so marked and also referred to, in it's MSDS document. Sonnenschien is one such battery. The battery I carry is a 9 amp hour, weighing 2.6KG.
After this, is individual airline operator approval, which is administered as part of their internal safety policy.
I can carry this battery, anywhere in the World, on a Qantas flight, the approval is good for the whole calendar year that it was granted.
I just show the approval document at checkin and it's noted against my passenger details and that is it :-)
My approval request was sent directly to the Dangerous Goods section of the airline and was no problem. Do not go to any other part of the airline organisation, they have no knowledge and they just solve the problem, by saying NO!
The battery MUST be marked on it's outer casing with IATA A67, and have the supporting MSDS document from it's maker.
Maybe you could make a trial enquiry with your chosen airline and see how you go?

73, Jack. VK4JRC

Qantas Airways Limited ACN 16 009 661 901 Qantas Centre 203 Coward Street Mascot NSW 2020 Australia Telephone 61 (2) 9691 3636

qantas.com

Reference: XXXXXXX 28 March 2011 Mr Jack Chomley

APPROVAL TO CARRY NON DANGEROUS SEALED ACID BATTERIES

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

This document provides approval to Mr Jack Chomley, travelling on Qantas Group aircraft, for the carriage of a non dangerous valve regulated lead acid batteries suitably packaged as checked or carry-baggage.

In accordance with the IATA Regulations and Special Provision A67, the valve regulated lead acid batteries must be disconnected and protected against short circuits and must be securely packed in strong outer packaging.

The approval is issued by the undersigned on behalf of Qantas Airways Limited in accordance with the requirements of the current editions of the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air DOC 9284-AN/905, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, and the Qantas Group Dangerous Goods Manual Chapter 5, Operator Approval.

This approval is valid only on Qantas domestic and international flights only from 28th

March 2011 until 31st December 2011 inclusive. Any additional approvals required by international and national authorities for the carriage or export/import of the non dangerous batteries from/to Australia is the sole responsibility of the passenger.

A copy of this letter and a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheets for the lead acid battery must be carried for confirmation to the airport staff.

Enquires and confirmation may be directed to the undersigned by phoning 61 2 9691 1061 or 0419 204 670, or e-mail, [hidden email].

Kindest regards

Mr XXXXXXXXX. Manager Dangerous Goods Standards & Compliance

Sent from my iPad

On 26/06/2011, at 3:21 AM, "David Andrews" <[hidden email]> wrote:

Dave, G4AON

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

My K2 has the internal lead acid battery option, however to avoid any
possible issues I take the battery out and leave it at home... This also
lessens the weight considerably.

I have travelled to Spain and Portugal from East Midlands and Doncaster
Sheffield (Finningley) airports to Alicante and Faro without a single
query or issue with both a K1 and a K2. The K1 is powered from a 10 cell
external battery pack housed in a plastic project box with internal self
resetting fuse, the K2 from a switched mode PSU. The last trip was April
this year from Finningley to Alicante on Ryanair. The airlines are not
the issue, the security screening people at the airports are the issue.

Take the radio in your hand luggage together with your licence.

(longer reply sent off the forum)

73 Dave, G4AON
--------------------------------
Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack it in
suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery? What about
paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?

Thanks
David G4CWB
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W4ATL

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

I haven't tried to carry a K2 on a plane but I have carried other electronic
gear through TSA security. TSA likes any complicated piece of electronics
(like the K2) to be put in a separate bin. If you pull it out of the case
and send it through the X-ray machine separate that will make it easier for
them to screen.

Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:21:57 +0100
From: "David Andrews" <[hidden email]>
Subject: [Elecraft] Flying with K2
To: <[hidden email]>
Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack it in
suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery? What about
paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?

______________________________________________________________
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Phil Kane-2

Re: Flying with K2

On 6/26/2011 10:36 AM, Sherman Banks wrote:

> I haven't tried to carry a K2 on a plane but I have carried other
> electronic gear through TSA security. TSA likes any complicated
> piece of electronics (like the K2) to be put in a separate bin.
> If you pull it out of the case and send it through the X-ray
> machine separate that will make it easier for them to screen.

But will they understand what they see?

As far back as 1990 I was hassled by "airport security"
(pre-TSA) over an Icom Hand-held that was in my carry-on bag. I
fly very infrequently (last time was 2007 with none in the
foreseeable future) but now that everyone has cellphones they
might be more familiar with hand-held radio equipment.

-- 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402

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Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy

Re: Flying with K2

That is why when flying I always take with me the Manual(s) and Invoice(s)
for any "commercial" gear in my luggage (and my licence of course), which
helps "them" to understand if questions are asked :-)

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD

On June 26, 2011at 20:00Z, Phil Kane wrote:

> But will they understand what they see?

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Fred Townsend

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by Thomas Horsten

David, I find the results of your research strange. Lithium batteries are
several orders of magnitude more dangerous than SLA. They catch fire and
water and ordinary fire extinguishers don't work on Lithium! Please see
http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/li_battery_restrictions.html for TSA
restrictions and comments on lithium batteries. Of course things always
appear different when viewed from the western side of the pond.
I am wondering if the restrictions on SLA batteries are based upon ROHS
restrictions on the importation of lead. Seems like lead is still ok for car
batteries but not for car wheel balancing. Which is the greater hazard?

One bonus of lithium is its much greater energy per pound/kg than lead.
Something you really appreciate when racing through airports.

73,
de Fred, AE6QL

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Thomas Horsten
Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 2:14 PM
To: [hidden email]
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Flying with K2

Hi David,

I am flying to Denmark with my FT-817 next week, and I contacted EasyJet to
figure out what I was going to do.

The SLA battery is a no-no. It took 4 emails and escalating the issue to
find out for sure that these are not allowed on EasyJet no matter what, and
probably the same applies to other European airlines.

Regarding the radio itself you can carry it in your hand baggage no problem,
as long as you stay within the allowance of your airline. In EasyJet's case
that means certain dimensions but no limit on the weight, so if you pack
tightly you might be able to fit laptop as well as your rig into a suitable
backpack. You can also pack it in the hold baggage, either is allowed.

I bought a 8Ah Lithium Polymer battery from uttings.co.uk to replace my 12Ah
SLA battery, which I wasn't allowed to bring. It's this one:
http://www.deben.com/lithium-ion/12v-8ah-lithium-ion-battery-pack-with-fuel-
gauge.html

A datasheet for the battery can be found here:
http://www.tracerpower.com/user/pdf/Li-Poly_Data_Sheet.pdf

This works exceedingly well with my FT-817, I don't have a K2 to try it on
but be aware that the voltage is somewhat lower than a SLA, with about 12.8
volts when fully charged and dropping to about 9.5V when it's flat. So this
might be an issue for the K2 - the FT-817 puts out the full 5W at well under
9V.

Hope it helps!

73, Thomas M0TRN
K3 #4208

On 25 June 2011 18:21, David Andrews <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack
> it in suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery?
> What about paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> David G4CWB
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

______________________________________________________________
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Ignacy

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

I travel with K2 and installed Li-Ion battery. Never a question. There is an official document by IATA on dangerous goods (search for DGR) and it states that built in Li-Ion batteries up to a certain power are allowed. EXternal are fine to 160Wh and afew limits. Asking is more trouble than help as most personnel is ignorant of rules and they could create some to appear competent.

I would never carry SLA as it is heavy. That Li-Ion batteries are dangerous is to a point a myth as almost every passenger flies with a laptop.

You can go to a batterspace.com and search for packs that are NDGR (not dangerous). This are officially approved for travel. For K3 I would choose 11.1V pack of 3-4AH. Would weigh < half of SLA. These packs have internal circuits against overcharging, short circuits, etc.

I think there are no limits on NiMH batteries. batteryspace.com sells many packs. I don't like them as much as Li-Ion because they are harder to charge and a single failure means the pack is dead.

Ignacy, NO9E

Matt Zilmer

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by Fred Townsend

Fred is correct about a lot of things below. Li-Ion and Li-Poly
batteries are generally not allowed to be transported en masse (as
cargo) aboard passenger aircraft. This is true at least in the US,
but I'm not sure about other countries. If it's true in the US, the
more safey-conscious Europeans almost certainly have a similar
restriction.

I work in consumer products. We are allowed to transport large
quantities of our GPS receivers using Li-Ion batteries, as long as
they're not fully charged, aboard cargo aircraft only. Single units
may be carried aboard and transported in passenger aircraft.

Unless your Li-based battery catches fire on a planet with a
non-oxygen atmosphere, the only way to extinguish it is to deprive the
fire of oxygen. Lithium combines with oxygen quite readily,
producting a highly exothermic reaction with a lot of nasty gaseous
products you want no part of.

I suspect the same restriction applies to SLA batteries of different
chemistries, in particular bulk storage (large battery banks). I
doubt it has a thing to do with RoHS, it's probably a safety issue.
RoHS applies only to consumer products that are user-accessible (the
Cadmium in NiCD and lead in lead-acid are not accessible under normal
circumstances).

During a unit teardown in 2007, I damaged the battery pack in a Garmin
PND (one of our competitors), and it caught fire in the lab next to my
office. I breathed a lot of the products as I tried to put the fire
out. Finally, I used a sheet of rubberized plastic, which burned
clear through quickly, to smother the fire. As Fred said, nothing
else worked to kill the fire. We came this close to clearing the
building, and only venting the lab kept a major hazmat thing from
occuring. I had to go to the local hospital for observation and
toxicity checks. I got lucky, no issues.

We also handle labeling for our products. The label for a pallet of
GPS receivers indicates no passenger aircraft transport is allowed. I
confirmed that this IS a TSA restriction. However, I've shown dozens
of single units to TSA guys and they never ask what type of battery
pack is inside. I suspect it's mostly a matter of "what you see is
what's real". If a Li-Poly pack were outside the unit, the question
might be asked. If it's NiCD or NiMH they won't care, but might see
the Lithium on their list of no-nos.

73,
matt zilmer W6NIA
[Magellan Navigation]

On Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:51:15 -0700, you wrote:

>David, I find the results of your research strange. Lithium batteries are
>several orders of magnitude more dangerous than SLA. They catch fire and
>water and ordinary fire extinguishers don't work on Lithium! Please see
>http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/li_battery_restrictions.html for TSA
>restrictions and comments on lithium batteries. Of course things always
>appear different when viewed from the western side of the pond.
>I am wondering if the restrictions on SLA batteries are based upon ROHS
>restrictions on the importation of lead. Seems like lead is still ok for car
>batteries but not for car wheel balancing. Which is the greater hazard?
>
>One bonus of lithium is its much greater energy per pound/kg than lead.
>Something you really appreciate when racing through airports.
>
>73,
>de Fred, AE6QL
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [hidden email]
>[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Thomas Horsten
>Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 2:14 PM
>To: [hidden email]
>Cc: [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Flying with K2
>
>Hi David,
>
>I am flying to Denmark with my FT-817 next week, and I contacted EasyJet to
>figure out what I was going to do.
>
>The SLA battery is a no-no. It took 4 emails and escalating the issue to
>find out for sure that these are not allowed on EasyJet no matter what, and
>probably the same applies to other European airlines.
>
>Regarding the radio itself you can carry it in your hand baggage no problem,
>as long as you stay within the allowance of your airline. In EasyJet's case
>that means certain dimensions but no limit on the weight, so if you pack
>tightly you might be able to fit laptop as well as your rig into a suitable
>backpack. You can also pack it in the hold baggage, either is allowed.
>
>I bought a 8Ah Lithium Polymer battery from uttings.co.uk to replace my 12Ah
>SLA battery, which I wasn't allowed to bring. It's this one:
>http://www.deben.com/lithium-ion/12v-8ah-lithium-ion-battery-pack-with-fuel-
>gauge.html
>
>A datasheet for the battery can be found here:
>http://www.tracerpower.com/user/pdf/Li-Poly_Data_Sheet.pdf
>
>This works exceedingly well with my FT-817, I don't have a K2 to try it on
>but be aware that the voltage is somewhat lower than a SLA, with about 12.8
>volts when fully charged and dropping to about 9.5V when it's flat. So this
>might be an issue for the K2 - the FT-817 puts out the full 5W at well under
>9V.
>
>Hope it helps!
>
>73, Thomas M0TRN
>K3 #4208
>
>On 25 June 2011 18:21, David Andrews <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Advice please - I'm flying within Europe shortly with a K2. Do I pack
>> it in suitcase (hold) or carry-on? Any problem with the SLA battery?
>> What about paperwork? Is it likely to cause concern at the airports?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
>>
>> David G4CWB
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
>> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Fred Townsend

Re: Flying with K2

Ignacy raises a chilling point: "Asking is more trouble than help as most
personnel is [are] ignorant of rules and they could create some [rules] to
appear competent." I find this statement to be frightenly true. To use a
data term the system uses forward error correction meaning they install a
new rule after the logically predictable incident.

Look at the shoe bomber or the panty bomber. A logical response would be to
issue a cautionary to check out young males that look like they are carrying
a full load in their pants or are wearing platform shoes. Instead we all go
through the check point shoeless. Yesterday a 95 year old woman was required
to take off her adult diaper. This is because the screeners are incapable of
making a judgment call.

Now we understand the capabilities of the screeners. The TSA rules on
batteries are far beyond their capabilities to discern. Many laptop
batteries have been recalled because of fire hazards but laptops will be
given a free pass because the screeners have no clue how to sort the good
from the bad. Besides the business man is the core business for the
airlines. They know if they try to screen laptops the lines will become
constipated. It's not about the function it's about the image they project.

What do we do when carrying a rig through the lines? I suggest we keep our
mouths shut unless they ask. Then reply 'this [object] is a computer
controlled radio for which I am licensed to operate'. Act bored while you
calmly show your license. Chances are the screener will never get past the
word computer. Whatever you do don't try and explain. You will only set off
their alarms.

Note to Matt: There are lithium fire extinguishers. Lithx is specifically
designed to extinguish lithium fires. You might want to get some for your
lab.

73
de Fred, AE6QL

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Matt Zilmer
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 6:46 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Flying with K2

Fred is correct about a lot of things below. Li-Ion and Li-Poly batteries
are generally not allowed to be transported en masse (as
cargo) aboard passenger aircraft. This is true at least in the US, but I'm
not sure about other countries. If it's true in the US, the more
safey-conscious Europeans almost certainly have a similar restriction.

I work in consumer products. We are allowed to transport large quantities
of our GPS receivers using Li-Ion batteries, as long as they're not fully
charged, aboard cargo aircraft only. Single units may be carried aboard and
transported in passenger aircraft.

Unless your Li-based battery catches fire on a planet with a non-oxygen
atmosphere, the only way to extinguish it is to deprive the fire of oxygen.
Lithium combines with oxygen quite readily, producting a highly exothermic
reaction with a lot of nasty gaseous products you want no part of.

I suspect the same restriction applies to SLA batteries of different
chemistries, in particular bulk storage (large battery banks). I doubt it
has a thing to do with RoHS, it's probably a safety issue.
RoHS applies only to consumer products that are user-accessible (the Cadmium
in NiCD and lead in lead-acid are not accessible under normal
circumstances).

During a unit teardown in 2007, I damaged the battery pack in a Garmin PND
(one of our competitors), and it caught fire in the lab next to my office.
I breathed a lot of the products as I tried to put the fire out. Finally, I
used a sheet of rubberized plastic, which burned clear through quickly, to
smother the fire. As Fred said, nothing else worked to kill the fire. We
came this close to clearing the building, and only venting the lab kept a
major hazmat thing from occuring. I had to go to the local hospital for
observation and toxicity checks. I got lucky, no issues.

We also handle labeling for our products. The label for a pallet of GPS
receivers indicates no passenger aircraft transport is allowed. I
confirmed that this IS a TSA restriction. However, I've shown dozens
of single units to TSA guys and they never ask what type of battery pack is
inside. I suspect it's mostly a matter of "what you see is what's real".
If a Li-Poly pack were outside the unit, the question might be asked. If
it's NiCD or NiMH they won't care, but might see the Lithium on their list
of no-nos.

73,
matt zilmer W6NIA
[Magellan Navigation]

______________________________________________________________
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Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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Jack Chomley

Re: Flying with K2

Take a chance with internal battery fitted to the radio, but don't even think about carrying a separate battery without some kind of approval.
You may be lucky and get away with it, if you get busted, get ready with a good story:-)

73 Jack. VK4JRC

Sent from my iPod Touch

On 29/06/2011, at 10:12, "Fred Townsend" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Ignacy raises a chilling point: "Asking is more trouble than help as most
> personnel is [are] ignorant of rules and they could create some [rules] to
> appear competent." I find this statement to be frightenly true. To use a
> data term the system uses forward error correction meaning they install a
> new rule after the logically predictable incident.
>
> Look at the shoe bomber or the panty bomber. A logical response would be to
> issue a cautionary to check out young males that look like they are carrying
> a full load in their pants or are wearing platform shoes. Instead we all go
> through the check point shoeless. Yesterday a 95 year old woman was required
> to take off her adult diaper. This is because the screeners are incapable of
> making a judgment call.
>
> Now we understand the capabilities of the screeners. The TSA rules on
> batteries are far beyond their capabilities to discern. Many laptop
> batteries have been recalled because of fire hazards but laptops will be
> given a free pass because the screeners have no clue how to sort the good
> from the bad. Besides the business man is the core business for the
> airlines. They know if they try to screen laptops the lines will become
> constipated. It's not about the function it's about the image they project.
>
> What do we do when carrying a rig through the lines? I suggest we keep our
> mouths shut unless they ask. Then reply 'this [object] is a computer
> controlled radio for which I am licensed to operate'. Act bored while you
> calmly show your license. Chances are the screener will never get past the
> word computer. Whatever you do don't try and explain. You will only set off
> their alarms.
>
> Note to Matt: There are lithium fire extinguishers. Lithx is specifically
> designed to extinguish lithium fires. You might want to get some for your
> lab.
>
> 73
> de Fred, AE6QL
>
>

EMD

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

Have you considered shipping the battery ahead of time if that is an option. That way it can be waiting for you at your destination when you get there and avoid the stress of losing it to airport security. That is assuming it's not lost in shipping.

73, Ed
KE7HGA

Dana Roode

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

Folks, I've read this thread with concerns about the SLA battery in
the K2. However, the Elecraft web site says the K2 batter is a
Gel-Cell, not Sealed Liquid Acid. Does this make a difference? Were
some K2 batteries SLA and some Gel-cell?

Dana

On Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM, David Andrews <[hidden email]> wrote:

g3ymc

Re: Flying with K2

Gel-Cell is an informal name for a SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) battery. They
are one and the same thing.

73 Dave G3YMC

On 4 Jul 2011 at 2:04, Dana Roode wrote:

> Folks, I've read this thread with concerns about the SLA battery in the
> K2. However, the Elecraft web site says the K2 batter is a Gel-Cell,
> not Sealed Liquid Acid. Does this make a difference? Were some K2
> batteries SLA and some Gel-cell?
>

http://www.davesergeant.com

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Re: Flying with K2

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Dana Roode

Re: Flying with K2

Ron, thanks much for the explanation! Sounds like a pretty safe battery to me.

Dana - K6NR

On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 9:06 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Elecraft sells a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Gel Cell battery for the K2.
> Unfortunately, many people, even some battery vendors, are careless with the
> terminology.
>
> There are at least two types of Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries: those in
> which the electrolyte is in a gelatin form (Gel Cell) and those in which the
> electrolyte is liquid but confined by an Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM). This
> latter type is often called a "Starved Electrolyte" battery.
>
> Unfortunately, many people fail to distinguish properly between an SLA AGM
> battery or an SLA Gel Cell battery and call both types "Gel Cell". It is
> true that neither will leak liquid acid, but they have quite different
> performance characteristics.
>
> SLA Gel Cells are superior for heavy demand and deep discharge situations
> since more electrolyte is available to support the chemical reactions, so
> they are the most popular no-maintenance, no-spill battery for powering Ham
> rigs.
>
> To further confuse the issue some liquid acid "no maintenance" batteries are
> referred to as SLA or Sealed Liquid (rather than Lead) Acid batteries. If
> punctured or otherwise damaged, these are capable of dumping liquid acid
> just like any earlier lead-acid battery. Like the older lead-acid batteries,
> they are properly classified as "flooded batteries". So, when seeing "SLA",
> it's good to know whether the L means Liquid or Lead.
>
> It's no wonder those in the transportation business are often skittish about
> shipping any kind of lead-acid battery. It's not always easy to identify
> exactly what it is by just looking at a label.
>
> Ron AC7AC
>
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AC7AC

Re: Flying with K2

In reply to this post by David Andrews-3

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Phil Kane-2

Re: Flying with K2

On 7/4/2011 4:52 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> So you are saying that AGM technology has caught up with and
> surpassed Gel Cells. That wouldn't be the first time I was caught
> not paying attention to technology.

> The AGM is easier than the Gel Cell to charge too.

Yes, especially when I charge them on my Mastercard..... :-)

Seriously, I've been using AGMs for the last two rounds of
replacement and I am quite satisfied with their performance.

-- 73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
Elecraft K2/100 s/n 5402

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